Jim Poulter is the author of numerous children’s books with Aboriginal and historical themes. He is a descendent of the Chivers family, early pioneers in the Manningham area, and as part of his upbringing he was told many stories about the aboriginal people. His family’s contact with aborigines taught him how they thought and how they had managed the land. He considers that aborigines were not hunter, gatherers. Instead, their cool burning off practice created ‘farms without fences.’ He was taken to see the eel traps, at Budj Bim, near Lake Condah about 40 years ago.
He has studied John Batman’s diaries, which details his visit to the Port Phillip district in 1835 to make a treaty with the local aborigines.
Poulter regards Batman as a liar, a braggart, a womaniser, a murderer and a swindler.
Batman was a member of the Port Phillip Association, a syndicate of wealthy businessmen in Tasmania who wanted land in the Port Phillip District for sheep grazing. Governor Arthur was probably a silent partner in the association, but the initial members were Charles Swanston, banker, Joseph Tice Gellibrand, lawyer and John Helder Wedge, surveyor.
The syndicate chose John Batman to come to Port Phillip and make a treaty with the aborigines along the lines of the feudal system called ‘feoffment.’ This was a total relinquishment and transfer of rights of ownership of freehold property. It gave the new owner the right to sell the land or pass it on as an inheritance. The treaty included passing from the original owner to the new a fist full of earth and the ‘beating of bounds’ or marking the boundaries of the land. William Penn is said to have made such a treaty in 1682 with the Delaware Indians in North America even though no actual proof of it happening exists.
Two deeds of sale were drawn up for John Batman to bring to Port Phillip, but their pristine condition on his return to Tasmania indicated that they were never spread out on the ground, or even on a fallen tree trunk as depicted in the John Wesley Burtt painting of c1875. In fact Jim Poulter believes that the deeds were never taken off Batman’s boat. The signature marks which were purportedly made by the Jagga Jagga aborigines on the deeds, were probably marks shown to Batman by the Sydney aborigines who accompanied him to Port Phillip. Batman practised copying these marks in his diary.
Batman’s diary has proved to be a problem for all historians who have studied it. The author Rex Harcourt exposed a lot of it as being incredulous. Poulter thinks the initial entries referring to Geelong were true but the remainder were a fabrication.
Batman’s party consisted of seven aborigines from Sydney, five crew including mate Robert Robson and three other men; James Gunn, William Todd and Alexander Thomson.
Many people have read the diary and tried to plot the route outlined. All have come up with a different destination. Some have chosen for the treaty place Darebin Creek, Merri Creek, or Edgar’s Creek on this, that, or the other bend in the river.
Two other accounts of the story exist. One was made by the ship’s mate Robert Robson in 1856, twenty years after the event and the other by William Barak (1824-1903) who became a well-respected aboriginal elder, having been at one time employed as a member of the Native Police Force.
William Barak’s recollections were also made a long time after the event. He was aged eleven when John Batman arrived in Port Phillip and he dictated his story in 1888 – more than 50 years after the treaty was said to have taken place.
Barak’s story is held in the State Library of Victoria. Poulter believes it has been mostly misunderstood by historians but his background has enabled him to understand it and Barak’s story contradicts Batman’s story.
Aborigines travelled around the country using songlines or easy routes which followed natural geographic markings such as ridge lines. In Port Phillip, these songlines still exist but over time they have changed from walking tracks to cart tracks and then roads. Where the Royal Melbourne Hospital lies is the meeting point for several songlines; tracks which became Flemington Road and Royal Parade. The extension of Queen’s Parade from Clifton Hill would meet at this intersection also.
John Pascoe Fawkner didn’t believe the distances that Batman said he had travelled. Fawkner said the treaty took place on the Merri Creek and everyone believed him.
From what Barak has stated Poulter believes that the Sydney aborigines followed the songline along modern day St. George’s Road to Plenty Road and on to Heidelberg/Greensborough, crossing both the Merri and Darebin Creeks on the way. They met with some aborigines, gave them some food and arranged a meeting on the Plenty River the following day with Batman.
Poulter believes Batman was taken to where the aborigines were, but that no treaty took place whatsoever.
The above is a report on the address by Jim Poulter at the General Meeting on 9 November 2019 Contributed by Jan Hanslow. PPPG Member No. 1057